Customer Reviews

Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

The Pinnacle Studio line of video processing software has a
very simple and intuitive interface. It is relatively easy
to learn the software. Even though it is for beginners/home
users, it does provide options for more advanced, Hollywood
style video processing. But only when it works.

I have used Studio consistently since its version 9. The
most recent version is now Studio 14 and it comes
in several variations: basic, ultimate, and ultimate
collection.

My recommendation: 4 stars for its simple interface. Zero
for everything else.

* Installing Studio 14 (in my case the Ultimate version)

If you purchased earlier "Ultimate" or "Plus" versions of
Studio, or if you bought fancy "transitions" or similar
premium features for earlier versions of Studio, the ONLY
way that you can take advantages of only SOME of them,
is to re-install the older Studio versions. In previous
installations of Studio, you could simply reuse your
activation code to get those features, plugins, or premium
options back. For Studio 14, your earlier activation codes
or serial numbers mean nothing. You have to reinstall old
software. But how many customers keep three, four earlier
versions of a software? Pinnacle never gave a hint that
an older version has to be kept.

Furthermore, even with older versions, you cannot recover
everything for Studio 14. For example, I had already paid
for two plugins (known as Heroglyph and Adorage). Even
though I re-installed Studio versions 11 and 12, I was
unable to get these two plugins activated. I contacted
Pinnacle. They asked me to repay for these plugins! That's
absolutely unacceptable.

Note that the above problems are well documented in
Pinnacle's own users' forums: to visit, go to pinnaclesys
dot com, under support, click on forums, and follow the
"edit" forum. Many customers have complained that they had
to go back and install Studio 10, 11, 12 in order to get
back some of their "transitions" or other premium features.

* Customer service: absolutely horrible

You will have a service code that entitles you to one phone
call. For other calls, you will have to pay. When I called
the support, it was an absolute waste of time. First,
there is a long queue. Second, the person only talked
in uncertain terms: "it should", "I think so", "try it",
"I am not 100% sure", etc. No definite or precise responses
to any of my installation or activiation questions.

* Pixelation problems continue

A popular feature of many video processing software is that
of making a video (DVD) of still photos, using certain
transitions or filters to make photo presentation more
fun. A common (and well documented) problem with Studio
version 10 and afterward has been pixelation. The photos,
especially at transition points, get pixelated and look
ugly. Pinnacle's response: it is your hard-drive, update
your video card driver, replace your video card driver,
re-size your photos, etc.

The pixelation problem is a very serious one as there are
several threads in the "edit" forum, each consisting of at
least 40-50 individuals experiencing the same problem and
complaining.

* Personal experience with Studio 14

No MAJOR differences with Studio 12. It crashed the very
first time but worked the second time. However, because I
still do not have access to many of the "transitions",
premium features, and plugins that I already purchased
with earlier versions of Studio, I do not know if I can
do anything other than simple video processing that I can
do otherwise with the free video software that comes with
the Windows operating systems.

This is my third iteration of Pinnacle Studio, having owned versions 11 and 12 as well. I also own and have used several other video editing packages running from high to low end. At the top of the low end range, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection 14 comes in as a solid five-star performer - if you are willing to tolerate some minor stability issues. For reasons I don't pretend to understand, all video editing programs seem to have stability issues to one degree or another. Sometimes I think I may be part of the problem as I rush ahead performing other operations while the CPU is still rendering what I've already done. Other times, I just plain don't know: like Adobe Premiere Elements 7 simply not running on a Vista 32-bit system while it ran on a 64-bit version without problems. Given time, I could probably narrow down the issues, but I'm not that concerned. With Pinnacle, I am politely informed that the program has malfunctioned and given an option to close the program. Do that, restart Pinnacle and I'm back in business within a few seconds. Do frequent saves and the occasional crashes don't hurt.

Pinnacle runs about a 12 month cycle between new major releases. Frankly, every other release could probably be skipped because the improvements are not generally that earthshaking.

I am glad, however, that I upgraded to Version 14. There are three variants, each having a few more features than the others. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection is the top of V14 line. The only drawback is that some of the bonus content, such as the SoundSoap program, are no longer included and earlier versions will not run in V14.

The good news is that the user interface has been simplified again. Pinnacle uses context-sensitive functions. In other words, double-clicking on a video clip brings up a different menu than you'd get by double-clicking on a still image. I've found the current interface to be somewhat more sensible and easier to use. There are three primary tabs: import media, edit and render output. Import gives you the choices you would expect, covering the waterfront from analog video to AVCHD. It's pretty simple to use with some good on the fly scene selection options. There are also options for directly importing from a digital camera, and interesting, a stop motion option that lets you build something resembling a flip book. Automatic scene detection is available for those who want it. Personally I find it more of a nuisance than a help.

The editing section has everything you could want in a solid low-end program. The user interface offers a storyboard or timeline or text listing formats. I am generally in the timeline view. There are scrubbers both in the movie preview window and at the bottom of the timeline, so reviewing video is an efficient procedure. Lots of keyboard shortcuts permit a speedy workflow. There are dozens of ordinary transitions and a couple of dozen other effects that will probably see little use. Plug-ins offer special features such as pan and zoom on still images, RGB color correction and so on. There is Picture-In-Picture and Chromakeying. Pinnacle provides its own custom music program called ScoreFitter, which as the name implies will generate music of a sort to fit the time of your clips. There are also some sound effects.

There are tracks for primary video, overlay video (which can also be used for dual camera shoots), titles, music, sound effects and voice overs. All in all, it's a nice, functional layout.

Pinnacle provides two competent, if not brilliant, titling programs. One creates static text which may be kerned and otherwise adjusted. It may be used to create DVD menus and the like. The other, called Motion Titler, allows more dynamic titles. Third-party titling programs run rings around it, but it is still quite usable for those who don't want exceptionally elaborate titles.

Pinnacle includes something they call "Montage Themes" which the user can customize with clips, photo and captions. They are pretty hokey, in my opinion, and not something I would use.

You can output to just about anything. DVD menu layouts are included and you can create your own. Almost all common codecs are included for video output, which is nice.

Overall, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection V14 is a very nice video editing application that I would rank at the top end of the low-end programs. It has everything the average hobbyist videographer and, in a way, functions are more accessible than in Adobe Premiere Elements. But there's a caveat: buy the printed manual if it isn't included with your Pinnacle package. The manual itself is somewhat difficult to deal with, but comes in extremely handy as a ready reference when you need it. I have several low-end video editing packages and Pinnacle is the one I find myself using most often. It offers, I think, good value for the money and an unusually good user interface.

Jerry

Sorry about the formatting, Amazon is removing all my spaces when I publish even though it looks fine in the editor.

Computer Specs:
Intel Core2 Duo @ 1.86 GHz
2 GB RAM
256 MB Video
32 bit
Windows Vista

My test:
Added 2 videos.
Added image stabilization to one
3D transition between them.
Rendered the project.
AVCHD in and MPG2 out (both in full HD, 1920*1440, Dolby 5.1 if available)
Video length 4 minutes and 20 seconds.


Overall Review:
***** Corel Video Studio Pro X3
***** Cyberlink PowerDirector 8
*** Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro Plus 9
**1/2 Adobe Premiere Elements 8
** Magix Edit Pro 15
* Roxio Creator 2010
* Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 14

Package Options:
My reviews are against the top versions of each product line. You will find that most of the differences between the top versions and the base are Blu-ray export options, and some add some extra sound options. See for yourself the option that suits you at the manufacturer's website in their respective product comparison guides.

Windows 7:
All seemed to work for me in windows 7, 64 bit with 4 GB RAM. I didn't do any tests with it b/c I wanted to use an older machine that would come closer to representing the average computer. This includes Roxio 2009, but not 2010 for reasons stated below.

Final Opinion:
If you want something super easy to use, then I would go with Cyberlink PowerDirector 8. If you want something with a bit more power that you can grow into, I would go with Corel Video Studio Pro X3. Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro plus 9 may very well be good, but I see no reason to purchase it with the power of the Corel package.
If you are a masochist, go with Adobe, Magix, Roxio, or Pinnacle.


DETAILS:
Adobe Premiere Elements 8
65 min render time
Pros:
You can search effects
Layout was good but not great
Interface was pretty straightforward
Cons:
Virtually locked my system
Slow and temporarily froze frequently
Output menu was cumbersome


Corel Video Studio Pro X3
19 min render time
Pros:
Great Output menu
Very fast
Easy to use user interface
Proxy editing*
Autofit for timeline
Cons:
No search function for effects

Cyberlink PowerDirector 8
30 min render time
Pros:
Output menu was nice
Very nice and easy to use layout
Cons:
No Blu-ray output


Magix Edit Pro 15
41 min Render time
Pros:
Simple
Cons:
Poor user interface
Oversimplified (Too simple I think for most people)
Very Cumbersome to use and add effects
Output options were confusing and cumbersome
Extremely limited options for PC output (which is what many will be doing)
A couple of lock ups


Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 14
Pros:
Nice little finished project to see what can be done
Nice interface for editing
Cons:
ONLY SOFTWARE that I was not able to import a video
Locked up my system many times and left errant process running at 80% CPU
Took 50 seconds just to load the import video TAB
When I selected videos to import and hit start import, absolutely nothing happened
Tried one of their movies and went to help to find stabilization and it crashed on me b/c I didn't have enough memory
No Blu-ray output
Cons on install on windows 7 computer:
Failure on export of file on all formats
I actually tried Pinnacle about 10 years ago and had absolutely nothing but problems. Spent many days downloading patches just to get it to work. Then, like a moron, I did an entire project and when I went to burn it, the burn failed every time. I see a decade later, I still can't export a file.


Roxio Creator 2010
Pros:
-----
Cons:
They don't allow a trial download. I contacted them asking them if I could download a trial and even noted that I was a current customer. I personally like the 2009 Roxio. It was a nice "all-purpose" program. They told me that I had to buy it. I was offered a money back guarantee, but to do so, I had to send in a letter of destruction. This is way too much effort on my end to see if your software works for me.
I find it ridiculous in this day and age that you can't have a trial version of something, especially when EVERY ONE of your competitors does. In addition, this is how they were treating an existing customer!
You throw in all the compatibility issues that can occur in software in general and video software in particular, and that leaves me to think they have nothing to hide.
As icing on the cake, the following sentence was in their reply.
"Creator 2010 does support AVCHD software and hasn't been know to have any issues thus far!"
I replied to them about this OUTRIGHT LIE! First, you can read the compatibility issues on Amazon. Second, as a person that writes programs, there is no such thing as bug free software, especially video editing software.


Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro Plus 9
14 minute render time (NO ANTI-SHAKE IN RENDER, see below)
Pros:
Computer stayed pretty responsive during render
Savable packages of effects
How to guide is nice
Cons:
Couldn't search effects
Very, very cumbersome to use
Couldn't find stabilization
The render time approximation stayed at around 1 minute or 2 left the entire time
Here is my issue with Sony Vegas. I have compared its features with many of the other programs and they are all very similar. Now, when compared with Corel Video Studio Pro X3 and Cyberlink PowerDirector, they are virtually identical. I personally think Sony leaves their software cumbersome so that it "looks/seems" more powerful.
I was definitely most disappointed in this product because it was the one that I was looking the most forward to using. When I say that it is cumbersome to use, it doesn't mean that it can't be used. Let me give an example. I am a programmer, and in something like excel, I like the ability to write my own code to create functions and tools that it doesn't offer or to tweak ones that it does. HOWEVER, when I want to enter numbers in boxes, I just want to enter numbers in boxes. I don't want to click in a box, go to a menu or right click, select some gadget and then enter a number. It is ok for complicated things to be complicated, but simple things should not only be simple, but also INTUITIVE.
The main thing that I saw that you could do in Sony Vegas that you couldn't do in the others is change your transitions (both audio and video) ramp as far as how quickly they come in and go out. I am not talking about changing the time, but how your out video accelerates out and how you in video accelerates in during that time. It is a cool feature, but something that 99% of people will only not use, but won't care about either.
Another thing, the image stabilizer should be easy to do, and it may be. However, I did a search in help for stabilize, stabilizer, sta, shake, anti, etc. and could not find out how to do this very simple thing. This worries me greatly that if this isn't readily available in the help docs, then much of the other stuff probably isn't either.


*A note on proxy editing.
Proxy editing is basically you working on a very low def version of your file, but when it comes time to actually render your output, the original file is used. Some view this as a crutch because they say you should be able to optimize the software to work with the high def video. My opinion is that if I can work faster, then I will work faster. Who cares what my resolution is while I am editing. If you have the fastest software out there for HD, and you can do your edits in very low def and it is even faster still, then why would you not want that?

I had Studio 11 and it worked great for a while until some error would not open it anymore.I bought Studio 12 and loved it.I never had any problems with 12 and used it to make a lot of really cool movies.My Computer died and i lost my Software to put it on my new PC so i bought this new Studio V14.It worked ok at a first then started acting up.Errors off and on drive ya nuts, Music Video would not work and had to close.They really screwed it up.Don't waste your money on this, chances are you'll get bad vibs from it.Support is a joke.

I used to like Pinnacle for SD editing, because it was easier to use, even though its software was prone to crashing. I thought they might have improved the 14 version for SD and HD. To my disappointment, this is not a mature product. It is slow and very cumbersome to use and the worst part is being unstable. The video and audio quality of the final production, if you managed to produce one at all, is inferior to that of other products as well. I finally gave up, notwithstanding many good editing features in the 14.

I had a lot of new video to edit and had familiarity with an earlier version of Pinnacle Studio, so I bought this and a brand new, very powerful computer. Loaded this software and nothing else on the machine and began a month-long tale of woe. Endless problems with trying to render video; endless attempts to fix, none of which were aided by the company's suggestions, mostly relying on the good folks on the software forum site. Very slow and unhelpful customer tech support. After flailing for a month, I gave up and got a refund. On a brand new, powerful machine, this simply should not happen. This software is far too touchy and unstable to be a commercial product.

I had a dual core, well Studio12/14 just didn't work on it.

I'm now using a 3mhz quadcore, lots of ram and storage. Works fine for lots of web videos and commerical videos.

When I went to Windows7 HomePre I had to reinstall, but that is the only glitch.

HD or Higher quality needs at least a quad core and 4 gig of ram.

I've used this software since 11 and 14 for me is the best "out of box"....yes their policy of dumping previous plugins is madding at times, but over all, for a $100, if you have the computer you can do commerical quality videos with this software.

Did I mention you want a powerful computer for it to work right? Also I do a clean boot and only run this program esp. when rendering.

I've always liked Pinnacle's studio suites. I find them very intuitive and powerful. Until upgrading to version 14, I used 9. The only beef I had with 9 was that it would crash from time to time. I haven't had 14 crash on me yet, but it appears from other reviews that some people have had that happen to them. Still, I won't hold that too harshly against it since 1) it hasn't happened to me and 2) I've had other video editing software solutions crash on me too, including Premier Pro and After Effects as well as other, less expensive programs.

This set is nice because it comes with extra effects and a chroma-key green screen... but don't get the "ultimate" version just for the green screen. It is only 5 feet by 6 feet which is pretty limiting as far as what you can do with it... pretty much just stand there and talk or do something else that doesn't require any motion. Still, it's a nice little freebie and I'm happy to have it.

Installation was a breeze and didn't take very long. As soon as it was done, a little tutorial popped up and walked me through how to use the product. As I said before, it's pretty intuitive already, but the tutorial would be very nice for those new to the video-editing game. The box also contains a (wait for it...) manual! I know, right? I was starting to think that software was always going to be shipped out in a big, mostly empty box and if you wanted to know how to use it, you would have to buy supplemental books and training materials and I had better just get used to it. But this is like the good old days... "Here's the software and here's how to use it." Why did we shift away from this model?

Once you get into the program, there are all sorts of little extras like transitions and (what would you call it?) "multi-frame displays"? I think Pinnacle refers to it as a pre-built montage. It allows you to show multiple photos and or videos on the screen at once for a nice effect. Anyway, whatever you call it, it's just another easy way to add some visual interest to your project.

Version 14 runs on Windows 7, Vista, and XP. It supports numerous input and output options and formats, makes use of multi-processor setups, handles HD, and supports Dolby Digital 5.1. And did I mention it was intuitive?

Recommended!

Pinnacle Studio UC is a suite of tools and filters for dealing primarily with video files and DVDs. It is a very large and very complex application that does its job well, though there is a big learning curve for the uninitiated.

Right off the bat, I found a very comprehensive manual in the box, over 300 pages worth of detail. The manual represents three additions of Pinnacle Studio, in exhaustive detail, covering everything from basic configuration to filters and effects, exporting to different formats and more. This is the most comprehensive manual I have seen for a software application in a long time.

Also in the box is a green backdrop cloth for video production and filtering. This is for more serious producers.

Installation of the application itself went very smoothly though it was lengthy. This is a very large appication and it takes time to install. Once installed, I launched the application and found it to be very similar to music production software. The paradigm is the same - video files are dragged and dropped onto the production line, as are filters, effects, and transitions.

Building a complete production is actually fairly easy once the intimidation factor of the user interface wears off. Everything is drag and drop, though there is more to it than that. There are several templates for building DVD menus, text can be added to a production, an audio can be added, all by selecting and dragging files to the production line.

As I dug in deeper I found an adjustable audio peak meter that allows for adjusting audio levels for each component of the production. Balance, volume control are spacial adjustments are all easily manipulated with this tool.

There are three different views available for a production, Storyboard, Timeline and Text. The most useful and clear of these is the storyboard view which shows elements and transition effects more clearly, though the Timeline is the view that comes up by default. The Text view is the most useless, though it is helpful for showing run times and lengths.

Making a disk (or a single file) is straightforward. Click on "Make Movie", select media type and you're off to the races.

This is a powerful package, but it comes with two drawbacks. First, the power comes with complexity and not everything is straightforward. The manual and help system are comprehensive and well-written, and anyone using this package will need both to harness what's available. Second, this is a very slow application. It is slow to start, slow to load features, slow to install.

Pinnacle Studio UC is a very powerful and feature-rich application. It is not a package for the newbie though even those who are new to video production can create results.

Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 14 is full of features that can help you easily get creative with your footage. Installation is pretty straightforward. You're prompted to register the activation code before installation begins. Take note, the Red Dragon Magic Bullet Looks plug-in is incompatible with Intel integrated graphics. If you do accidentally install it (as I did), you have to perform two uninstall processes (both can be found in Windows Add/Remove Programs).

The interface is clean and logically arranged. Bypassing any instructions or how-to's, I created a simple movie, complete with special effects, titles and transitions, in a few minutes by simply opening the program and following the logical layout. Output to both a DVD and a WMV file looked pretty good. You can also quickly create a montage containing both video and still images from pre-set templates. Pretty much anyone (with just a little PC savvy) should be able to quickly make a decent project without much difficulty. If you want to expand your creativity, a sizable manual, practice footage, and Flash-based step-by-step tutorial are provided to get you up and running. The Ultimate studio package also contains a green screen for chroma key effects (superimposing a different background), and a set of Red Dragon plug-ins for special effects like sun glare, particles, toon skinning, etc. As I edited subsequent footage, I found the interface easy to master and was able to locate most of the needed commands without referencing the user guide. If you've ever been intimidated by the complex interfaces of typical video-editing programs, you'll find the UI of Pinnacle to be a welcome relief. Although it's not as robust as a program like Sony Vegas, it offers plenty of creative flexibility for those who want something more polished and professional looking than basic programs like Windows Movie Maker can produce.

Performance depends on your content. Editing with HDV was simple and relatively trouble-free. I was able to manipulate video, effects, and titles with no substantial performance hit. I encountered occasional glitches, but nothing seriously alarming. AVCHD was an entirely different matter. First, I was prompted for a second online activation the initial time I attempted to work with AVCHD content. Once underway, I encountered numerous stability issues. My first AVCHD project crashed after I merely tried to edit inserted text. Fortunately, the program had an auto-recovery feature and I was given the option to pick up where I left off after restarting the program. I then encountered a problem where a transition wouldn't insert between two particular clips. I could insert transitions everywhere else, but could not insert at that particular spot on the timeline. Sometimes AVCHD video wouldn't play in the preview Window. I also had a hard time previewing any added effects with AVCHD video. Some of the exact same effects that previewed fine with HDV content could not be previewed with AVCHD content. Encoding times also increased significantly. Pinnacle recommends at least a 2.4 Ghz dual-core processor for AVCHD and a quad-core i7 for AVCHD 1920. My system is a three-month-old laptop with a 2.2 Ghz dual-core Pentium CPU, 4GB of RAM, and Windows 7 64-bit OS. Although it (barely) may not meet Pinnacle's suggested requirements, it's no slouch. If you have an equal or lesser system and plan on working primarily with AVCHD, I strongly suggest looking elsewhere.

I really like Pinnacle Studio when working with HDV. If it digested AVCHD as easily as HDV, I'd probably love it. In fairness to Pinnacle, I get similar issues with other editors when working with AVCHD files, although Pinnacle seems to be slightly more troublesome than the others. Most consumer laptops are mainstream models, not mobile workstations. AVCHD cameras have all but replaced HDV in the consumer market. Pinnacle may want to find a way to strike a balance with those who don't have the latest quad-core i7 processors and 512MB (or greater) dedicated video cards. This is especially important because Pinnacle is primarily targeted to home users, not film students or professionals who likely have much better equipment. Basically, this is a four star product if you have the gear to make the most of it. If you don't, it's two (or less, depending on how far you fall below the recommended specs). I averaged it out at three because I like the HDV performance but hate the AVCHD performance.